Good night, sweet prince...

"Good night, sweet prince,

And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

-Horatio, Hamlet, 5.2.302-3

The above quote is one that I found ten years ago while struggling to write a eulogy for my father's funeral and it is one that has stayed close to my heart since.  When saying "good-bye" the quote makes my heart flutter in sadness, but also soar in elation.  What I most enjoy about this class, and others that I've taken, is that although a grade is issued and farewells are said at the end of the semester, the learning never really ends.  About a month ago I finally got into my Shakespeare groove and now that the final few hours of the semester are commencing I regret the time that I lost.  This is my last semester of class before I student teach in the fall and this class was my only and final literature class of the semester and program.  I'm happy that Studies in Shakespeare is the bang that will hurl me into the classroom.  As you may have read, I've spent a lot of this semester in reflection about how to keep Shakespeare in our classrooms and how to engage the students.  I want to thank Lauren Scull for mentioning me in one of her recent blog posts and citing that us mere English Education majors can compete with our knowledge and approach when it comes to Billy Shakes.


I think a lot about what I've learned this semester and where it will take me.  I recently read about a school in Great Falls, Montana that gave Shakespeare the boot in order to make room for more progressive materials. While I understand their idea my inner-teacher and literature lover is screaming profanities at their ignorance.  It isn't Shakespeare that is the problem, but the teachers.  Gasp!  I can't believe I said that, but I did...are we becoming lazy as educators?  If there are experts who have studied Shakespeare, why can't their be experts who teach Shakespeare?  Could I be one?


A few people have made mention to the quote below...and indeed it is beautiful.  Recently I was watching the film, The King's Speech and this, along with other Shakespeare quotes, was said.  Remarkable and I'm stricken with love over having known the reference.

Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises,

Sounds and sweet airs, that give delight and hurt not.

Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments

Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices

That, if I then had waked after long sleep,

Will make me sleep again: and then, in dreaming,

The clouds methought would open and show riches

Ready to drop upon me that, when I waked,

I cried to dream again.

Before Shakespeare meant beautiful language that perplexed and stimulated my mind, but what the words mean now are so much more.  I believe that when you encounter a topic that urges you to keep learning and to be thoughtful and aggressive in your approach you have found quite the gem. I've felt this way in my past about mountains, and horses, and books, and authors, and teaching, and now I live a life that incorporates all of those gems...and I am so lucky...I don't have to cry to dream again because life is best with my eyes wide open.


Thank you classmates, thank you Dr. Sexson and my other fabulous professors, thank you  Montana State University, and thank you William Shakespeare.

The end is only the beginning...

Some blogs are easier to begin then others...just as some of Shakespeare is easier to get through than others.  When I have so much to say I find it hard to begin.  I'm looking over my notes, scribbles, haphazard ideas and can't find a starting point.  This predicament leads me to wonder about how my peers came up with such eloquently versed term papers.  The presentations from Thursday were of no exception.  Shelby points out in her blog post on "Mis-Mything Shakespeare" that the simple recognition of subtle quality of Shakespeare probably catapults us beyond those who would readily say they are familiar with SP.  And although we find qualities to admire in Ashley's blog and entries that others have made this semester it is okay to be satisfied with gaining any knowledge and not letting intimidation control our pens.


There appeared to be a sense of accomplishment and confidence in our speakers Thursday.  Perhaps they were simply basking in intellectual glory because they had an extra week to prepare their papers and presentations, but I doubt that it true.  The connections my peers made were not ones that could be developed in a late night paper making session, but ones that have been developed all semester through their personal learning and reflection.  What is most exciting about having the opportunity to write a term paper on a limitless amount of topics is that is allows the author to present a unique concept that is personal to them, while allowing the reader or audience to stare directly into the mind and soul.  Is this how mind babies are conceived?  


Although it has been spoken of briefly throughout the semester, the topic of performance is one that has provided a constant source of reflection for me as I enter into student teaching this fall.  I am sure it is of no surprise that Jennifer's amazing performance of the song, "If I do Young" was one that not only entertained me, but sent my mind into a flurry of thought, appreciation, and awe.  It was not just a "simple country song" because what is simple about the emotions that music inspires?  I think they the bullseye was hit straight on by incorporating such a beautiful melody to perpetuate thought about the symbolism of the pearl.


The methods that have been used to present topics have been much appreciated by my feeble mind as I attempt to expand my own horizons of thought and presentation.  Craig's screenplay was a unique idea to portray what he has learned and reflected on throughout the semester.  The many sonnets that were created by my peers have not failed to excite me.  Poetry, although lovely, has never been a creative avenue I've felt comfortable taking.  It feels as forced as walking down Rodeo Drive without my cowboy boots and Carharts.    Mythology also felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable to me much of this semester, and although I know I am not the only one I am amazed at how many people incorporated mythology into their papers.  Thursday we heard Riley speak about Iago and Prometheus, Lauren Scull elaborated on Poseidon, Andromeda, and Perseus, while Rachel K concluded that Shakespeare himself is a myth-maker.

Beautiful Minds

I just swung by the MSU Bookstore to flip through the books on sale and I found two gems totaling a mere $5.40!  The first is Barry Edelstein's, BARDISMS: Shakespeare for All Occasions that appears to be a collection of quotes from a number of SP's works that relate to various topics.  It's not quite up to Frye's commentary on Shakespeare, but it appeared to be worth the $3.60 and will be a nice addition to my "student-friendly" collection of books that will one day find a home in my future classroom.  The second steal is an adaption by John Reed titled, All the World's A Grave.  I honestly have no idea what to expect from this short book, but one day I'll read it.  Apparently it is "an epic tragedy of love, war, murder, and madness, plucked from the pages of Shakespeare."  If I had the opportunity to teach Shakespeare for an entire year I can see asking my students to write a story that uses the characters in multiple SP plays and perhaps snippets of plot as well; I'm pretty sure that is what read has done in this fictional tragedy.  Sure, I didn't need these books, but lately I've kind of been on a book-buying spree.  It began with being gifted many books for Christmas, then even more for my bridal shower, and finally the closing of Borders sent me over the edge.  I feel like I need to rescue the books before pages are no longer printed on and we fully immerse ourselves in e-books and the like.  My husband-to-be gave me cease and desist orders on buying books until we find  larger house, but what harm will two more cause?  Besides Kyle, it's for the kids...


Well, today was amazing.  I sat in the back of the classroom fully engaged during every moment and cannot adequately express my gratitude to my peers for sharing their brilliance and insight.  Today I was able to let go of the intimidation factor and let my mind buzz with excitement and thought as I listened to today's presentations.  Today Jon Orsi mentioned that he has spent so much time thinking that it is difficult to begin writing.  I believe many of us can relate to this and the anxiety it has caused us in the past, or maybe even currently.  I've not previously had the pleasure of learning alongside Mr. Orsi, but both his blogs and presentation have allowed me to experience a "visceral self-experience of mythology" (said by Jon during his presentation).


James gave an emotional and stimulating reading of his paper thus far that let my heart soar amongst his language, passion, and style.  I look forward to reading his finished paper and gaining more insight into the mind that brought us a unique perspective of James the Rat today.  I also experienced the "whoa feeling" from Nathan today.  Thank you Nathan?  Seriously, the complexity of your paper made complete sense to me.  It's exciting to watch and listen to you speak and tell our class your discoveries.  Before hearing you speak about the different schools of literary criticism I had little interest in understanding each or any of them, but your examples allowed me to experience the value of being able to not only identify, but understand the different areas of criticism.  


Although I have not mentioned every presenter individually it is my intention that everyone feels the appreciation I have for their insight and intelligence.  It appears that we all understand aspects of Shakespeare on different levels and instead of constantly being intimidated by it we should embrace it.  I began to wonder today if I need to be somewhat of an expert on Shakespeare in order to be a good, heck a decent, teacher...or, by limiting myself to understanding the works of Shakespeare am I decreasing my ability as  teacher?  Today it was mentioned that the intimidation of Ashley Arcel's term paper was appropriate and nothing to be frightened of...that she is in this class because she belongs here and it is a good place for her to be...because it is a good place for all of us to be regardless if we are teaching-option students or literature students.  Today's presentations furthered my thinking that we all have something to offer the class on a subject that many scholars spend lifetimes attempting to make sense of.  I have more connections, comments, and concerns about teaching Shakespeare vs. studying Shakespeare, but I will leave those for my next blog.  


Instead, I want to leave you with the following excerpt from Measure For Measure that was discussed in class.  This is Claudio's death speech that has been compared to Hamlet's "to be, or not to be" speech.

Ay, but to die, and go we know not where;

To lie in cold obstruction and to rot;

This sensible warm motion to become

A kneaded clod; and the delighted spirit

To bathe in fiery floods, or to reside

In thrilling region of thick-ribbed ice;

To be imprison'd in the viewless winds,

And blown with restless violence round about

The pendent world; or to be worse than worst

Of those that lawless and incertain thought

Imagine howling: 'tis too horrible!

The weariest and most loathed worldly life

That age, ache, penury and imprisonment

Can lay on nature is a paradise

To what we fear of death. (3.1.17)

Good grief!  How did I miss such beauty?  Both Claudio and Hamlet grapple with the idea of the "undiscovered country" but while Hamlet has only his mind to fight with Claudio's fate is essentially in the hands of his sister, Isabella.  I can hear the urgency in his voice and the desperation as he contemplates death (for the first time?) and cries to his sister to change her mind and risk losing her morality.  

Beautiful.

Today's class was delightful, powerful, passionate, calming, and simply amazing.

Paper Reflections and Regrets

Although I do not mean for this to be a sob story, I often feel as though I fit amongst the penny-paying crowd of the Globe Theater.  Dr. Sexson often speaks of the "intimidation factor" and he uses it as a way to encourage us to continue reaching further into the recess of our intelligence; a positive notion yet, but with the wrong mindset the intimidation factor settles as a dark cloud over an empty blog.  I guess I'm being a slight bit dramatic, but we are talking about Shakespeare...


Ashley Arcel's term paper encompasses everything that a term paper should be (also said by Dr. S).  Her command of language and eloquence is astonishing and of course, intimidating.  All semester I have been in awe of her ability to compare and contrast elements of mythology and Shakespeare.  Bravo Ashley and thank you for sharing your marvelous insight.


Upon sharing my presentation I had a few thoughts cross my mind at a rapid and repetitive pace...  First, how is it that I can almost effortlessly stand in front of my sophomore English class in Manhattan and teach Shakespeare?  I am not nervous, nor blink an eye when a student obviously knows more than I do about whatever area we are studying?  I simply continue on and feel pretty darn good about.  However, speaking in front of the class last Thursday was a different story.  When I spoke my voice did not sound as my own.  Essentially, I gave a false performance.  I liked my term paper and in fact I still like the topic it covers.  However, upon settling in on the writing process I realized that I picked a topic too large.  There are too many avenues for it to travel down that I could not contend with in a short paper.  I could have switched topics, but I felt connected to "forbidden love" because I knew that I could use the concept in my future classrooms.  I suppose I won't intimidate anyone who in our class, but one day I hope to take away the intimidation factor of Shakespeare that many high school students wilt under.


After loathing in a brief bath of self-pity, followed by a quick rinse of self-esteem I started to think about Nick Axline's paper and presentation.  I am beginning to consider that our topics together could piggyback off of each other.  Well, his can stand alone just fine, but adding his insight to Shakespeare's use of forbidden love makes sense.  Basically I was trying to argue that Shakespeare uses the many faces of forbidden love in every aspect of his work...And Nick talked about every possible identity is used in Shakespeare...so there seems to be an obvious correlation here.  I like Shakespeare enough, but it wasn't until after listening to Nick's presentation and comparing it to my own that I felt for the first time that Shakespeare really is a genius.  Awesome.

Term Paper, Mything Shakespeare: An Obsession

Essentially I attempted to argue that Shakespeare is obsessed with the idea of forbidden love.

Mything Shakespeare: An Obsession

……….

“What moves men of genius, or rather what inspires their work, is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough.”

-Eugene Delacroix

……….

            In the clutch of death an aged man contemplates that his life was a waste, a teenaged girl cries desperately to her parents for a choice, and all the while a goddess pines for a love she never knew.  A couple sits in the cinema and watch a movie about two characters who by chance meet and then preserve a tumultuous set of events to be with each other.  It is neither by fate, nor chance that a university student contemplates the idea of love while listening to music hum around her and asks the very same questions that perhaps the world’s greatest linguist asked hundreds of years prior to her birth and many more will contemplate for years to come.   According to Harold Bloom, William Shakespeare "has been universally judged to be a more adequate representer of the universe of fact than anyone else, before or since." (1)  Still today humans grapple to attain what they often cannot have and when the unattainable is love chaos often ensues.  The displaced myth Shakespeare was most obsessed with is forbidden love.  While Bloom reveals that he believes Shakespeare is undeniably obsessed with the myth of Venus and Adonis it can be strongly argued that such an obsession falls just under the umbrella of forbidden love.  When an idea can transcend time and consider both the macrocosm and microcosm it appears to be worth investigating its value. 

            It seems essential to define love in order to effectively argue what it is that encourages Shakespeare’s obsession, but to define a word that has been argued to have no actual meaning proves to be difficult.  Love, in the most simplistic of definitions is an emotion, often personified to describe the strong affection or attachment a person has for another.  However, it is the complexity of such a state that requires one to assume that love does not always translate to mean the desire amongst humans (or gods), but the desire that one can have for both what is tangible and what is beyond physical existence.  Love is often referred to as being part of a global language, or at least the idea that all humans understand the concept of love regardless of cultural or linguistic divisions.  Regardless of the exact definition, when love is thought to be forbidden everything goes awry.  Shakespeare uses the theme of forbidden love in the multitude of his poetry and plays as a way of ensuing bedlam and ultimately perpetuating a plot that is engaging to all.  Although the language of Shakespeare troubles modern readers such was not the case when the author wrote the plays sending forth the notion that his performances were for the many classes of man.  The common theme of prohibited love simply united the audience and allowed all to partake in the entertainment.

            Both A Midsummer Night’s Dream (AMND) and Romeo and Juliet are prime examples of Shakespeare’s obsession with forbidden love.  AMND threatens to fall into a dark void of despair for the characters, but then recovers exploiting the scenario with joy and hilarity.  Conversely, the archetypal characters Romeo and Juliet appear to be destined for an idyllic conclusion despite the same theme of forbidden love when their fates are sealed amongst tragedy.  Aside from the magical language, why is Romeo and Juliet still one of the world’s most beloved stories?  Northrop Frye discusses that this tragedy is one that can take multiple forms of mistreatment in reproduction and still draw the audience to tears.  “The original writer is not the writer who thinks up a new story-there aren’t any new stories, really- but the writer who tells one of the world’s great stories in a new way.” (Frye 29)  Shakespeare is not the original writer of youthful love and death, and in fact Frye also asserts that this story probably manifested before written literature existed.  “It takes the greatest rhetoric of the greatest poets to bring us a vision of the tragic heroic, and such rhetoric doesn’t make us more miserable but exhilarated, not crushed but enlarged in spirit.” (Frye 33)  Perhaps unbeknownst to Shakespeare he incorporated forbidden love into his comedies and tragedies because of an overwhelming obsession on a topic that silently surrounded him in both life and prior literature.  During the same time period Chikamatsu Monzaemon, a famed Chinese dramatist was creating plays dealing with honor bound lovers and double-suicides, furthering the notion that Shakespeare did not introduce the idea of forbidden love to literature, but continued reinventing the story that man, and possibly himself, were already obsessed with.

            Ovid’s Pyramus and Thisbe reads closely similar to Romeo and Julie and as will be discussed later, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  In Babylonia lived the handsome Pyramus and the fair maiden Thisbe.  Upon meeting, desire burned intensely into love but their parents forbade a marriage.  The couple planned to run away from the confines of parental rule and marry when Pyramus believes that Thisbe has been killed by a lioness.  Distraught he then takes his own life moments before Thisbe returns to find him near death and in return catastrophically takes her life.  This story is one of forbidden love where passion led to accidental deaths and tragedy; much like the story of Romeo and Juliet.  If tragedy is thought of to be a sort of comedy turned inside out it is easy to understand that Shakespeare then created AMND by turning the tragedy back into a comedy. (Frye)  The theme of forbidden love is easily interchangeable between comedy and tragedy because one action or event can cause the average love story to quickly go astray or settle into elation.

            This obvious theme is not only apparent in Shakespeare’s well known plays, but takes form in the play Measure for Measure in a dark and horrific situation.  Angelo lusts for Isabella’s virginity that she has pledged to Jesus.  She has forbidden herself in the name of the church to give away her body regardless if it would save her brother Claudio’s life.  Shakespeare transforms his obsession from the ordinary, as seen previously, to the extraordinary in Measure for Measure.  Love, in this sense is not of typical definition, but rather the love of sexual desire alone.  Nevertheless, it is still love and because of Isabella’s commitment to chastity it is forbidden.  The following extraction from act two, scene 4 is an example of Angelo’s lustful desire for what is forbidden and how love in the emotional sense quickly turns to love as only a sexual act.

ANGELO:  Plainly conceive, I love you.             

ISABELLA:  My brother did love Juliet,

                     And you tell me that he shall die for it.

ANGELO:  He shall not, Isabel, if you give me love.

ISABELLA:  I know your virtue hath a licence in't,

                   Which seems a little fouler than it is,

                   To pluck on others.

 It is with this dialogue that one can easily envision how forbidden love can encompass the very thoughts of an individual and drive them to disgrace their fellow man.  King Lear never thinks in terms of love because what he desires most is already forbidden in his mind.  Although Cordelia answers Lear’s questions with exactly what it is he desires most he cannot accept the answer because he has already vanquished it from being truthful.  His obsession over what he believes is impossible eventually leads him and Cordelia to death.  Cordelia’s love for her father was never forbidden or outlawed, but it was Lear who did not allow the love to exist in his mind.  Essentially, the majority of characters Shakespeare developed struggled with the idea of forbidden love in various forms leading the reader to conclude that it is the author himself who struggles with the obsession.  The point isn’t that Shakespeare wasn’t obsessed with the myth of Venus and Adonis because again a type of forbidden love prevails in the text.  This lustful story, along with The Rape of Lucrece further exemplifies how man’s obsession with forbidden love (again as a sexual desire) can often lead to disaster.

            Shakespeare was not the first, nor will he be the last to fixate over forbidden love.  Frye believes that “Every society has an ideology, and its literature reflects the fact.  But I don’t think any culture is really founded on an ideology:  I think people first of all make up stories, and then extract ideas and assumptions from them.” (143)  Today society, artist and non-artists alike still freely obsess over forbidden love.  Although the term obsession is often associated with being negative and disastrous it can be used to perpetuate critical thinking, entertainment, and also used as a device to teach.  Identifying a common theme amongst students aids their learning and overall comprehension, especially when faced with the difficulties Shakespeare often brings to the classroom.  When forbidden love is thought of as a situation that propagates a known emotion it becomes a foundation for students to work off of while studying.  “One of the greatest benefits of studying Shakespeare is that he makes us more aware of our assumptions and so less confined by them.” (Frye 4)

            Jorge Luis Borges answers the question of “who is Shakespeare” by explaining that he is “everything and nothing” furthering that he is “everything” because he has offered readers a new version of a timeless obsession and “nothing” because Shakespeare’s obsession  is one that has plagued many and will continue to do so for an eternity.  Frederick Turner suggests that “With correct mnemonic technology, the whole universe can be stored in one man's memory” (59) and while considering that Shakespeare delivers his plays under the umbrella of forbidden love it can be said that indeed his words speak the language of the universe. 

 Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York: Riverhead, 1998. Book.

Frye, Northrop. Northrop Frye on Shakespeare.Binghampton, New York: Vail-Ballou Press, Inc., 1986. Book

Turner, Frederick.  “The School of Night”. Frederick Turner’s Blog. Blog. 11 January 2011.

Measure For Measure Movie

Just in case you didn't get to watch our movie, the following link should take you there:  http://vimeo.com/22420217

And, a comment about all of our presentations...Although Dr. Sexson offered that we might not have acting scouts banging down our doors, I am pretty impressed with everyone.  Morgan's lit classes might present a play every semester, but can they quickly break into groups and present an understandable version of Shakespeare?  (No offense to my peers who have performed in one of Morgan's lit class plays of course)
As I have mentioned multiple times, I believe that performance is a an awesome way to interpret texts.  In my future classroom I hope to use this medium as much as possible.  While there are many reasons to use performance in the non-drama classroom, here are just a few:

• Teachers are essentially performers and the classroom is their stage.  Like an actor to it's audience the teacher transforms herself to portray the character that is most appropriate for the audience to understand the details of the play. (or the lesson)
• In order to perform one must understand what it is they are to perform.
• Likewise, performing what is known or understood can help perpetuate learning towards mastery or comprehension.
• My favorite reason in support of performance is that Shakespeare used it, so why should we?  Our friend, Bill used performance as a way to communicate not only his eloquent language, but current events, and as a way to tell a story.  

Each groups' project exemplified what they had learned about their given play because they were able to perform the piece to an audience.  In my opinion there is a huge difference between writing a paper and reciting the words and diving into a piece of literature and being able to perform the most important themes by using the smallest details.

Bravo class!

Measure For Measure...Character Explanation

The following is the list of characters we highlighted in the filming of Measure by Measure and the actors who portrayed them are listed in parenthesis.  You will also find a few ideas of what to watch for when viewing our movie tomorrow.


The Duke (Becky)

• an overall good and virtuous man who rules his land with soft hand.  he believes that there is too much unlawful sex happening, but doesn't know how to handle enforcing the law so he enlists Angelo's help to do the dirty work.  The Duke spends most of his time in disguise in order to keep tabs on how things are progressing along.

Isabella (Jamie)

• Essentially the main character of the play.  A chaste young woman who is faced with a rather difficult decision of whether to help her brother who has been charged with fornication.  She starts off wanting to be a nun in the play and doesn't agree with her brother's actions, but loves him nonetheless.

Claudio (Roberto)

• Brother of Isabella and sentenced to death by Angelo for getting Juliet pregnant.  Even though he planned on marrying her and was engaged by a common law agreement, but they did the "deed" before a legal marriage.

Lord Angelo (Roberto)

• the villain!  He rules with a strict hand and doesn't care who he hurts.  However, he is a hypocrite.  he gives Isabella a rather unfair ultimatum if she wants to save her brother, but he doesn't hold up his end of the bargain.  Essentially Angelo is a creepy critter.

Mariana (Amanda)

• Previously engaged to Angelo, but he called it off when the dowry was lost at shipwreck.

Mistress Overdone (Jamie)

• runs a brothel in Vienna.  Reports the news that unlawful sex has been outlawed.

**Since multiple people had to play multiple parts we dressed in our best "school of night" attire and added props to distinguish each character.


Watch for:

• a character in disguise
• the bed trick
• an unfair judge
• 2 different movies inspired 2 different scenes towards the end of the play...can you tell which movies?

Group Presentations

What a delight it is to see my peers come together give their interpretations of Shakespeare.  I took a few notes, mostly for my own selfish advancement for the final, but nevertheless here are a few morsels of knowledge about Groups 1-3.

Group One:  Titus Andronicus

• Walter asks/suggests, Was this Shakespeare's first tragedy?  His first play?  A revenge play?
• Shakespeare the plagiarizer (because of Ovid), or a GENIUS for tackling current events? 
• Mutius (son of Titus) sounds like "mutiny" which makes SP very clever!

Act 2 Scene 1

• James (the rat) sounds like Mrs. Doubtfire.  Jamie told me she thinks he is a little too good at that voice.
• Craig's falsetto belongs on stage.

Act 4 Scene 1

• Lavinia "points" to Ovid's Metamorphosis in the way the tapestry is referred to.
• Rio's visual use of curling ribbon for blood/nasty arm removal was awesome.
• Roberto and Shelby raped/killed Lavinia!

Other notes

• TA starts with ambiguity, but revenge slowly leaks into the chest of each character.
• We all were invited to a banquet/feast.
• Jon Orsi made a really funny trumpet noise.
• It is common for a feast to be found in a comedy in order to signal a celebration, but interstingly enough it is used in this tragedy. 

Group 2:  Much Ado About Nothing

• Group begins with a portrayal of the scene where Beatrice is being fooled into thinking that Benedick is in love with her.  Holy smokes, good job memorizing your lines Lauren.
• The idea of the comic vs. the tragic...the audience is never quite sure if they should be crying or laughing.  The first 3/4 plays out as though a tragedy.
• Most comedies begin with a problem (to be solved), but this play's problem is that it doesn't have a problem.
• "The Hammock of Time"  5 acts, but 3 main parts broken up to the time periods of 24 hours, one week, 24 hours.

Lies and Deceit

• happens quite easily
• creates a new love story
• bad when Hero is accused of lechery

Love and Loss

• It's a love square!
• "I'd rather hear a dog bark at a cow than hear a man say he loves me." (Beatrice)

Nothing

• pronounced "noting" which is humorous because it is the eavesdroppers that make something out of nothing when they note what they think is being said truthfully.
• Joe: "Everything comes from nothing, the mythical miracle of imagination!" (I personally think that is awesome)

More Notes

• Don't worry be happy and try to do something important.
• Ryan was a tree
• Don Jon is a bastard, both by birth and by nature!

Group 3- Othello

• Othello, pronounced "Otheller" as a WESTERN!
• When I typed in "Othello as a western" I didn't get any pictures that could even come close to resembling the masterpiece this group put together.
• Taylor played the bard or chorus, adding Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" to the play.  
• My favorite line, "It's time to grease my spurs with blood!"
• Iago is Satan or a "douche-bag" while Othello is more God-like.
• It was difficult to take notes on such an entertaining interpretation of Othello.  Excellent job group 3.

Why Shakespeare?

Why is Shakespeare still part of many secondary English/Language Arts programs?  For many of us education students we don't blink an eye about teaching Shakespeare (even if it slightly terrifies us), but for our future students just the thought of Shakespeare is reason enough to call in sick to school.  Recently I taught a lesson on Shakespearian language to a class of sophomores.  The main idea of the lesson was to teach ways to get through difficult language and I primarily used Billy Shakes as an example.  The lesson worked and as far as I can tell through my assessment techniques a solid amount of the class understood what I was teaching and are able to implement the techniques I suggested.  But, why did I teach it when I could have taught anything else?  Am I programmed just to assume Shakespeare is a necessary component of every student's education?


Why? Why? Why?  An argument might be that we need to use Shakespeare as a catalyst to teach about other areas, but aren't there other authors that can do the same?  I'm not sure that I want to answer why we need Shakespeare,  but it's something that I've been thinking about.  If I don't have to teach Shakespeare in my classroom, will I?  I'm not sure that "why SP is needed in our classrooms" is a term paper worthy topic, but it's one I'm thinking about.


And, for those of you fellow education majors...here is my lesson plan...it involves fun hats!

Lesson Plan Title:  Shakespeare and The Facts

Concept / Topic To Teach:  This lesson addresses how to simplify Shakespearian language in order to understand what the facts are and aid comprehension.

MT State Standards Addressed:

Communication Arts Speaking and Listening Content Standard 1

Students know and understand the role of the communication process and demonstrate effective speaking and listening skills.

• 1.3 apply and evaluate effective listening strategies to fit the purpose, situation, and setting of the communication
• 1.5 adapt communication to a variety of public, group, and interpersonal audiences, settings and purposes

Communication Arts Reading Content Standard 2

Students read by applying foundational skills and strategies to comprehend, interpret, analyze, and evaluate texts.

• 2.2 expand and utilize general and specialized vocabulary through the use of context clues, analysis of word origins, and reference sources
• 2.9 summarize text by determining main idea and analyzing essential and nonessential supporting details
• 2.10 make and justify complex inferences within and among multiple texts and/or forms of media

• 2.14 critique author’s purpose, point of view, bias, language use, and credibility to deepen understanding within and across culturally diverse texts, including those by and about Montana American Indians

Communication Arts Literature Content Standard 3

Students select, interpret, and respond to a range of literature

• 3.2 evaluate how diction, figurative language, imagery, detail, organization, and style shape meaning and impact works and readers

Communication Arts Writing Content Standard 5

Students will write to communicate effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences.

• 5.5 demonstrate knowledge of language choices and their impact on writing by showing purposeful control of voice, sentence fluency, and word choice

General Goal(s):

• Develop strategies for understanding difficult language
• Use activity to engage a variety of learners.

Specific Objectives (from Standards): Students will be able to

• Identify and list words and phrases that depict imagery in the passage
• Justify their choice of language imperative to the comprehension of the passage
• Communicate amongst their groups and classmates to depict the situation in the passage
• Demonstrate through oral and written work, as well as performance, how language choice impacts the essential understanding of the text.
• Comprehend the passage after being taught skills to simplify the language.

Required Materials (if necessary): 

• Each student will need a copy of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (or whatever play/poem the class is reading), and the passage of focus copied down for an overhead or prepared for a smartboard.  Example of passage: Titania’s speech in AMSND (2.1 lines 125-142)

TITANIA   Set your heart at rest: The Fairyland buys not the child of me. His mother was a vot'ress of my order, And in the spiced Indian air by night Full often hath she gossiped by my side And sat with me on Neptune's yellow sands, Marking th' embarked traders on the flood, When we have laughed to see the sails conceive And grow big-bellied with the wanton wind; Which she, with pretty and with swimming gait, Following (her womb then rich with my young squire), Would imitate and sail upon the land To fetch me trifles and return again, As from a voyage, rich with merchandise. But she, being mortal, of that boy did die, And for her sake do I rear up her boy, And for her sake I will not part with him

• Colorful hats or props for at least half of the students.  Example: scarves, costume hats, masks

 Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):  When students enter the classroom a table will be set up with enough hats to outfit half of the students.  The hats are to be colorful and eye-catching; something you would see a character wear on a stage.

Step-By-Step Procedures (included projected time for each step):

1.  Read the chosen passage out loud for students.  Next, ask students to read the same passage out loud 2-3 times at their desks.  Ask students their initial ideas about what the passage is about and direct them to provide a short written response (PRE-assessment).  When finished ask for volunteers to share their ideas. Then have half of the class come up and choose a hat and find a partner to work with.  (10 minutes)

2.  While one student reads the passage out loud the other student in the group should wear the hat and pantomime the actions indicated in the passage. (e.g., gossiping in sands, laughing, grow big bellied).  Then the students will switch and repeat the exercise. (10 minutes)

3.  Put the passage on the overhead or smartboard and ask for student volunteers to eliminate all of the imagery from the passage, including descriptive words and phrases.  Essentially, pare the passage down to just the facts. (10 minutes)

4.  Read aloud the remainder of the passage.  (2 minutes) 

Possible example:  The Fairy land buys not the child from me.  His mother was a vot'ress of my order. And she gossip'd.  And sat with me.  And we have laugh'd.  But she did die. And do I rear up her boy. And I will not part with him

5.  Compare the new passage to the original passage.  Ask the students the following questions out loud and suggest they can take notes in their journals on ideas they hear: What important details are missing and which ones are still there?  How has the meaning changed?  When all of the mental pictures are removed, how does this change the meaning?  What phrases or words from the original should be returned to the passage for clarity?  Basically, what is essential? (FORMATIVE assessment) (10 minutes)

6.  Read the revised passage out loud again.  Ask the class to read the whole original passage out loud.  Then ask the student what they think about the passage (compared to their feelings before). (2 minutes)

Behavioral Expectations:  It is expected that students will be more excitable than usual because of the props and performance aspect of the lesson.  However, students are also expected to be able to calm down when it is necessary to work alone or volunteer answers in class.

 Plan For Independent Practice:  As homework, the students will finish the act that the initial speech is in.  They will continue to define words that they are not familiar with and then select passages that they are having trouble understanding and perform the same activities as above.

Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):  Teacher-prompted questions will ask the students to reflect on their impressions of the two different passages.  The class will also share ideas about when this activity could be useful when reading other materials, or in other classes, jobs, tasks, etc…  (5 minutes)

Assessment Based On Objectives (can be in the future as SUMMATIVE assessment):  Students will choose a short section of the play and prepare to perform it with a partner, or small group.  Like we did in the lesson, students will shave down the language to just the facts, then add back in words that are necessary for understanding.  Their comprehension will be assessed by their performance, as well as a one page (per student) explanation of how they worked with the language in order to gain a solid understanding of the text.

 Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities):  This lesson and assignment can be altered to include necessary technology to aid certain disabilities.  Instead of acting out the scene, the students could draw what is happening in the scene to show they have comprehended the material.

 Extensions (For Gifted Students):  For students desiring more of a challenge the use of computer software, such as Xtranormal or GoAnimate could be incorporated for the students to create a presentation similar to the ones performed in class.  These students could also be asked to identify different passages in the play and create a visual representation of what is happening to detail their comprehension.

Possible Connections To Other Subjects:  This lesson could connect to speech or theatre class.  Also, because of the mythology and historical significance mentioned in most of Shakespeare this lesson could also connect to a history class.

References and Resources:  A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2.1 lines 125-142)

Term Paper Possibilities... Forbidden Love and the Beatles

Helen and Paris

Here I sit.  A rain cloud has settled over Bozeman and thoughts of term papers swirl around in my mind...but I can't quite grab a hold of one idea.  The Beatles' song "Love Me Do" is playing quite loudly over the speakers of the cafe...lately, I just can't stop asking myself about love, and of course what it means to mythology and Shakespeare.  After Thursday's class I watched The Adjustment Bureau in the movie theater ( a good flick!) and per usual, I was taken in by the characters and the tumultuous events the had to persevere through in order to be with each other, aka forbidden love.  In the end (spoiler alert!) the two characters, David and Elise, give up the opportunity to be together forever in order to be together for a few moments later.  Their seemingly unconditional love inspires the "chairman" (God, or another spiritual character) to allow them to be together because "He" recognizes that chance perpetuates free will and they have seized the opportunity to take advantage of it.  Essentially, forbidden love turns into requited love.  Perhaps that tangent was unnecessary to speak of, but the idea of forbidden love has stayed with me since and keeps bouncing around in my head.  


It's easy to see that the idea of forbidden love is prevalent in Shakespeare.  We see it portrayed in Romeo and Julie, and A Midsummer Night's Dream where such love is obvious.  The idea of forbidden love takes a completely different twist in Measure by Measure where the "love" is unwarranted and unwanted, but still plays a major role in the plot.  Basically, the theme of forbidden love takes a stance in almost every play that I've read thus far and an argument could possibly be made that is is a reoccurring theme in all of SP's plays in one way or another.  For the sake of a paper I'd probably need to narrow my scope down to just a handful of plays.


Now, forbidden love and mythology is an entire different, yet completely related subject.  Shall I suggest Helen and Paris?  For the sake of the class and our ongoing discussion of how mythology and Shakespeare relate it is probable that I need to pinpoint more specific examples of forbidden love in mythology and then where we see these examples portrayed in Shakespeare.  Iy yi yi...maybe this topic is a little more than I bargained for.  Nevertheless, I'm interested.


So, I'm going to work on narrowing my focus a bit this weekend and will try to churn out a thesis.  Comments and criticism are welcomed! 

Pericles...oh my!

Dear Bill,
              What the heck were you thinking when you wrote Pericles?

Perhaps it is because I just quickly (well as quickly as one can read SP) read through Pericles Prince of Tyre that I am both over and underwhelmed.  I had forgotten what Carrie told us a few classes back about people magically coming back to life until Thaisa's casket is being opened and she is suddenly alive.  Often my favorite musicians will produce a few albums of the same style and genre that I consistently like, then all of a sudden WHAM!! they produce something so far off of the grid that I have to step back and say "what the heck were you thinking?"  Pericles is similar in the way that it is completely different from what I have read of SP previously.  Typically when I hear my favorite artists new take on music I instantly hate the album, but then it slowly grows on me.  I hope in my second and more thorough reading of Pericles the same will happen.

Till next time when I have something semi-intelligent to profess...

Cleopatra Part 2...and Elizabeth Taylor

Honestly, I hate mentioning this, but Elizabeth Taylor passed away and perhaps one of her famous roles was Cleopatra.  After my last post, I've become unpleasantly (and temporarily) obsessed with Cleopatra.  Admittedly, I know very little about Elizabeth Taylor and he life, other than her many marriages, obtuse sexuality, and role as Cleopatra.  Indeed, there appears to be some similarities between Liz and Cleo.  Perhaps it was after Liz performed as Cleo that part of the character never left her mind.  In Shakespeare, Cleopatra was the "fattest female role in the entire range of drama" (Frye), but her true identity lies only on stage.  Unlike Elizabeth Taylor, who has an off-stage life, our knowledge of Shakespeare's Cleopatra is only what is told through the play.  When people question if she really loved Antony it is suspected that one does not understand just who Cleopatra is and isn't.  "Her love, like everything else about her, is theatrical, and in the theatre illusion and reality are the same thing.  Incidentally, she never soliloquizes; she talks to herself occasionally, but someone else is always listening and she always knows it." (Frye, 127)

What is our obsession with Cleopatra?  I admit that I dressed as her for Halloween quite a few years back, but to me it was just a costume pulled off of a shelf.  My escorts were friends dressed as Cheech and Chong...not quite Caesar and Antony.  I didn't feel Egyptian, (or Greek), or powerful or sexual...I didn't feel anything because I didn't even know who she was...and the thing is that we still don't know her and any speculation made is as good as true in my book.  If I would have read Antony and Cleopatra before picking out the costume I certainly would not have dressed like her, or perhaps I would have inherited  her attitude for the evening.  She was selfish and she needed to be seen.  She took the battle of Actium to sea then betrayed Antony when she pulled her fleet out.  Frye believes she was probably thinking something along the lines of "those silly men and the games they play...they're not even paying attention to me, so I'm leaving."  Cleopatra later asks Enobarbus if it is Antony or her who is at fault and this appears to be an actual question on her mind.  Questions such as this make one think that possibly she isn't being selfish, but that she is simply being Cleopatra.


It seems somewhat of a disservice to Antony if I only talk about Cleopatra, but one has to wonder the identity of Antony without Cleopatra?  At least when thinking about the play, it seems that Antony would have been more of a leader without Cleopatra, but would he have been less of a man?


In closing, I want to leave you with more words from Frye...

"What is true of heroism is true of love as well.  

There are no superhuman lovers, and all attempts at such love have been tragic."

Cleopatra...I just don't know how I feel about you

Northrop Frye on Shakespeare is an essential companion to anyone reading Shakespeare.  My only complaint is that it doesn't cover every play that we are talking about in class.  At any rate, I spent part of my spring break catching up on reading (unfortunately not blogging) and considering just what I think about our man, Billy Shakes.


Albeit late, a few morsels of goodness that Frye writes about Antony and Cleopatra are worth sharing.  Generally speaking, Frye comments on how amazing it is that Shakespeare has vividly imagined a world much like our own.  While considering mythology, Shakespeare, and our world today I can clearly see how history repeats itself and how the human condition is one that spans immortals and mortals alike.  In reflection on this idea (or fact in my opinion) I am reminded of the countless times I've heard the phrase "kids these days..." or, "it just isn't like it use to be..." and in return I've been annoyed and slightly angered about the ignorance reflected in the person making the complaint.  I've never been able to find the right words of defense, but always knew that people have no progressively gotten worse and loose in their morals.  Authors, such as Shakespeare, have made it completely evident that people did not start out as "good" and then digressed to evil over time.  This rant has gone a little further away than I expected, so let me use Cleopatra as an example.


Cleopatra...Lisette hyperboles her disgust for the character, but "love love love" for the play.  I am curious as to if it is her natural disgust for the "selfish" Cleopatra that is so alluring to Lisette.  Overall, I like the play, but "love" is not a word in my vocabulary that I can connect with Antony and Cleopatra.  Appreciation, comprehension, an overall neutral feeling...those are words that come to mind.  At any rate, let's see what Frye has to say about the play.


One world exists in A&C where the air is thick with information and news, but it is the two aspects of this one world that cause the change to happen all at once; the aspect of "law and order" which Rome represents, and the aspect of "sensual extravagance and licence" represented by Egypt.  Essentially, three people control the lives and fortunes of millions.  "The fact that two of them are lovers means that what is normally a private matter, the sexual relation, becomes an illuminated focus of contemporary history."  Brilliant!  Matt Helms suggested that A&C is much like a typical high school love story, but then it was pointed out that Antony and Cleopatra are old (gasp!  "old people" can't have love affairs! -I  hope my sarcasm is sensed).  Although Matt was on the right track, the forbidden love of A&C is more like that of an office romance.  I am not sure when society began to believe that two people could not engage in a sexual relation and have a professional relation at the same time, but it long before modern day, and obviously well before the time of A&C.  Again, Shakespeare (with the help of Frye) is blowing my mind in his ability to predict how our modern day world looks and runs.


Today, when a woman uses sex to "sell" something to the public we criticize her, but when Cleopatra used sex as a political weapon the people were afraid of her.  Frye points out that Queen Elizabeth also used sex as a tactic for political control, but it was her virginity that claimed the power.  The Romans were afraid of Cleopatra and why wouldn't they be?  The sexuality of a woman was a power that no Roman army could muster a fight against.  Does this make Cleopatra a "bad" person?  For me, it is not her use of sexuality that is bothersome, but her sly intelligence along with selfishness that sits uncomfortably on my mind.  Frye remarks that reading A&C as a sort of romance or moral melodrama is the most elementary misreading of the play.  I believe it is the idea that anyone could consider the romance of Antony and Cleopatra to be romantic at all that rests uneasily with me.  Love is a shape-shifter that allows even the most dreadful of situations to be believe as blissful.

Much Ado About Nothing

http://www.petraacademy.com/blog/comments/much-ado-about-nothing/

Last night I attended Petra Academy's play, Much Ado About Nothing.  My fiancé was offered tickets through his job and jumped at the chance to take me to the theater while I was studying Shakespeare.  (I also believe he didn't want to disappoint the Plant Manager whose son was in the play, but that's neither here nor there.)  


The often performed and much loved play encompasses all of SP's usual antics...love, marriage, someone dressing up as someone else, a villain, a tragedy, and then a happy ending.  Naturally the play consists of much more substance than that, and was quite entertaining, but you get my point.  I had never before attended a SP play and was eager to find out if the performance lent itself to an easier understanding of the language.  Indeed, watching and listening to the play was much easier than reading from the thin pages of our book.  The students (ranging from 7th-12th grade) did a marvelous job and the laughter often filled the theater.  I suggest reading this play at the very least, and when the time again comes you should attempt to see it performed.


After the performance ended we headed to Ale Works and much to my delight the fiancé began speaking about some of the same variables that we talk about in class.  Now don't get me wrong, Kyle is an astoundingly intelligent man, but his thoughts typically center around science and engineering.  We talked about the play within the play and the mythology behind much of SP's writing.  Speaking of Mythology...I laughed aloud as the characters compared their lives to that of Hercules labours...something I just educated myself about during a section my practicum students at Manhattan High were studying.  I don't believe that much of the audience caught on to the mythology references (and I am sure to have missed many), but that just furthers the point that everyone can enjoy Shakespeare.  Frye says that SP simply "allows his audience to have fun" and indeed Petra Academy's performance of "Much Ado About Nothing" allowed just that.